


The Implant

by Kaillingme (Setty94)



Category: K-pop, Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Established Relationship, Eventual Smut, Kidnapping, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Science Fiction, Technology, Thriller, kiho monthly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-04-10
Packaged: 2019-04-07 18:26:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 18,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14086935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Setty94/pseuds/Kaillingme
Summary: Kihyun gives up the only thing he valued about himself to save Hoseok.Alternatively: In a futuristic world where all the Social Networking sites become one company seeking the ultimate control over the populace, Kihyun has to figure out a way to not only save Hoseok from his kidnappers, but to also put a stop to world domination.





	1. The Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> For Kiho monthly's March theme: Science-fiction!
> 
> This is largely unbetaed and will be broken into three parts. This is also my first time writing Kiho, let alone for monsta x so please forgive any ooc. I just happen to love both Kiho and sci-fi and couldn't pass up an opportunity like this.

The wind was whipping Kihyun’s hair all about his face. He stood on the ledge looking down at the glowing and flashing lights below. If he jumped now, he would just miss the waste hovercraft. He needed to buy himself a few more moments before he could leap, but one glance at the suited men holding blast guns told him he only had seconds. He needed to act fast.

“Step away from the window, sir!”

Kihyun dug his toe into the sil. His hands were sweating, heart beating erratically in his ears. The alarm from the Implant was blaring nearly just as loud. He glanced back down into the floating city below and counted under his breath. Just a few more seconds and he would be in the clear.

The sound of shuffling feet, and Kihyun could practically feel the men on his back now. He turned to look at them one last time, releasing his grip on the jagged glass pane and stood there, arms outstretched. Wind pressed his shirt to his skin, where it clung to his sweat. He tried to gauge the situation with the Implant, but it was still flashing large red words telling him to get back inside the room.

He couldn’t do that. Not when they had Hoseok.

A breath, a prayer to whatever deity would listen to him, and Kihyun stepped backwards into nothingness. He was going to save him… he had to.

 

☍☍☍

 

_Now introducing TechCorp’s newest invention: The Implant. Want constant connection to the internet? Tired of boring old holophones? Ever want to be able to access all the knowledge of the world with just the blink of an eye? Then, The Implant is for you. Get yours today. Now being sold at all TechCorp locations._

Kihyun flipped off the television and tossed the remote onto the sofa. He had been hearing about TechCorp’s newest this and updated that and honestly it unnerved him. He had always been a bit of a stickler about technology, but everyone knew that about him. Hell, he still had his old “smartphone” and used it as his daily driver rather than updating to the latest holophone. He just didn’t see the need for it.

But, he knew someone who did. The thought of Hoseok coming home with the newest holophone or latest technology from TechCorp brought a smile to Kihyun’s face. He loved Hoseok, even if he was a technological slave to the oligarch. Speaking of Hoseok, Kihyun checked the time, wondering where on Earth Hoseok was and why he was so late.

They had set aside time for these weekly dinners ever since Kihyun’s company hit it big with new floating city designs and Hoseok took on bigger and farther modeling jobs. They had been an unlikely couple. The CEO of the global transportation initiative and a model who had gotten his start in their commercials. But, when the two of them tied the knot five years ago, all negative whispers about the two were demolished by the love they received.

Kihyun walked over to the white granite counter and drummed his fingers on it, using his other hand to rest his chin on as he stared out the window. He lived top floor of the sixty storied building, in the penthouse suite, and it was nights like these that he found himself enjoying the view. The soft yellows of people living in the residential zones, the red and blues of the consumer district just below that, and then blackness for the waste zone that lay just below the floating city.

Something outside caught his attention though, so Kihyun, walked over to the window and leaned against the glass. He could see the faintest light in the darkness below. It was flashing green and then orange and then pink. It wasn’t one of his companies vehicles that was for sure. They flashed red when entering the waste district, a way to alert people in the nearby vicinity of its trajectory.

It had to be a leisure vehicle, judging by the size and the fact that it remained unmoving just beneath the garages. He wondered if if was just a pair of kids trying to sneak off for some privacy, a thought that made him think of his childhood boyfriend, Jooheon. The two of them had stolen his parent’s vehicle multiple times to do just that. Good times, he thought with a chuckle and turned away from the window.

Just as he was about to turn the television on, Hoseok burst through the door, huge smile on his face, and his autoluggage rolling up behind him, hands free. (It had been one of Kihyun’s prototype designs for better air travel. Luggage that took care of itself in the airports to prevent lost luggage and whatnot, but he never got past the prototype stage.) In all his well-muscled beauty, Hoseok closed the distance between the two of them and planted a very excited and eager kiss upon Kihyun’s lips.

“I have great news!” He pulled back and gestured to his face, “Notice anything different?”

Kihyun bit his lip as he failed to fight back a small laugh. Hoseok was always changing his appearance for his different modelling jobs. The last one had him with hair the color of a red dwarf star. This time, he had come home with jet black hair and little green-blue streaks. Kihyun had to admit he liked the darker colors on Hoseok. They were such a stark contrast to his pale skin.

“Your hair?” Kihyun said hesitantly. When Hoseok shook his head in dissent, smile still as big as ever, Kihyun leaned in closer, noticing tiny little freckles dusting over Hoseok’s bridge of his nose and cheeks. “You got cosmetic freckles?”

Hoseok shook his head again and pointed to his eyes. “I got the Implant!”

“Oh.”

“Baby, what’s wrong? You had to have known I would get it, it’s all the rage, and every model has one. Just yesterday, Hyungwon was using his to stream to his fans while we were preparing for the show. They loved it and he would not stop going on about how it’s been boosting his scores.” Hoseok said.

Kihyun furrowed his brows and sighed, “You know how much I hate that score thing they implemented. The numbers don’t matter, okay?”

The scoring system had been introduced as TechCorps first social media initiative and while a lot of people had initially protested it, the score quickly became a part of the daily life. Some communities were more into it, using it to dictate where in life people’s status was, but luckily for Kihyun, his city had not fully embraced it.

Being a city of mostly innovation, most of the citizens were interested in creating the next big invention rather than bending to the will of society. Still, it was becoming a larger part of the ore social part of society and if it wasn’t for Hoseok's high score (largely due to his immense social presence and general likability by the masses), there were a number of socially driven places that Kihyun-the-father-of-floating-cities-and-the-current-lifestyle himself could not get into.

Hoseok rolled his eyes, “ _I_ don’t care about my score. I’m at 9.8. Can’t get much higher than that. Anyway, that’s not what I’m excited about. Here, let me show this cool feature that was released today.”

Hoseok grabbed Kihyun’s wrist and led him to their living room, switching on the television. He blinked and a slight red glow transposed itself over his irises. His eyes darted back and forth for a second and then the screen had a live feed of Kihyun’s face on it. It flickered a bit but then stablized.

“It still has a few bugs, but they’re working on doing Implant to Implant links soon, so if you get one-”

“I’m not getting one,” Kihyun said, crossing his arms. He kept switching his gaze from fro Hoseok’s face and then his own displeased one on the television.

Hoseok blinked hard and the television screen went blank. “Why are you always like this? Innovation isn’t always bad.”

“No, but you know I don’t trust TechCorp, babe,” Kihyun sighed. He gestured over to the table where their food still sat, covered by the temperature regulators. “Let’s talk about this over food. You must be starving.”

Hoseok pursed his lips and exhaled through his nose. Kihyun knew he was being hard on him, but truthfully, he was somewhat terrified of the Implant. It seemed to go against everything he stood for. He was supportive of change, he steamrolled it with his company’s discovery of the maximization of magnetized hovering, that later lead to more efficient travel and building in a world that was struggling with overpopulation and complete utter devastation below.

His name was on every new model of car that came out, his ideas had been used to build this floating city above the darken and scarred land below. He was all for technological advance as long as it was for the betterment of humanity. He was not however, okay with the way social technology was becoming more and more invasive. It had started with social networking sites for his great great grandparents and now it was tiny little implants that had the ability to record your every waking moment. It made him feel weird, like he was being watched.

Of course, he was being watched by his team of security personnel, but that was different. He had names to their faces, had met their families, trusted them with his life and by extension the life of his lover: Hoseok.

They ate in silence for a moment, before Kihyun spoke. “Tell me about the Implant.”

Hoseok pushed his food around on his plate for a second and then scooped a mouthful into his mouth. After chewing carefully, he said, “Well it allows me to link up to the internet in the blink of an eye.”

“Smartphones could do that too,” Kihyun interjected and Hoseok shot him a look that could kill.

“It’s completely hands free and every update brings new features. Like, I was able to communicate with the autoluggage and tell it to follow me without having to press a button,” Hoseok explained. “And aside from the streaming thing, well, TechCorp is creating a new network for Implant users. You can upload moments from your day, watch other’s moments, and soon we’ll be able to link into each other and live through their eyes briefly. That’s still in alpha, but, I did sign up for the beta, so if you get one– don’t give me that look, I said _if._ If you get one, we could link up during those times when I’m gone for months at a time.”

Kihyun sighed, ready for a rebuttal, but Hoseok gave him a grin tinged with even more excitement, “Eventually, they want to be able tap into the nervous system so that we could feel what others feel, but there is a lot of pushback for that.”

“Rightfully so,” Kihyun started, mouth still full of his bite of steak. “There’s no telling what TechCorp would do with that kind of control. They could literally turn people into sleeper cells or control their minds. Baby,” Kihyun said, reaching across to place his hand on Hoseok’s. “Don’t you feel like this is too much? What if they turn on the stream when you’re not looking, or even worse, during the times, we’re _intimate_.”

Heat flushed over Kihyun’s cheeks at the thought. It had been a week since they had last indulged in each other that way. Hoseok’s face mirrored his own for a moment and then he chuckled, as if the notion has been wiped away in an instant.

“You sound like one of those conspiracy theorists. TechCorp wouldn’t do that. It’s in the release form I signed before getting the Implant. They cannot and will not access the implant so long as it is turned off. It will remain off until I switch it on, too. So there’s no need to worry, okay?”

Kihyun shook his head. Hoseok could be so innocently naive to the ways of companies. He had seen hints of it in his own. Some of his officials had wanted to use the surveillance cameras in all the public transportation vehicles and government buildings to log data on every visitor for law enforcement, but Kihyun had put a stop to that. The camera footage was to be used in the event of a crime, not for nefarious government plans.

Kihyun squeezed Hoseok’s hand. “It’s just a lot of access into personal lives, and I’m not exactly comfortable with it.”

“I know you’re old fashioned about social technology, but I’ll show you that it isn’t all bad,” Hoseok said with a million watt grin. “Speaking of,” he blinked on the Implant and within a few moments, the autoluggage rolled up to his side.

Kihyun had to admit to himself that was kind of cool, but he would never let Hoseok know he thought that, because once you gave a mouse a cookie...well it would ask for a glass of milk and he was well aware of how that story went.

“I got you this,” Hoseok said, procuring a small box from the luggage and sliding it across the table. “It’s a retro-holophone. It’s time you got rid of your old dinosaur. They’re phasing out the networks for them by the end of the month anyway.”

Kihyun picked up the box and gave Hoseok a weary look before opening it. Inside was a small glass rectangle about five inches long, two wide and a quarter of a centimeter thick. He picked it up gingerly and it came to life at his touch. Pale blue buttons appeared on the screen in classic T-9 formation and Kihyun let out a breathy laugh. He pressed on the glass, feeling slight haptic feedback and then let the smile bloom over his face.

He leaned over the table and kissed Hoseok sweetly, savoring for the briefest of moments the plush of his lips, and then sat back down. He turned the phone over, enjoying the way the buttons appeared on the other side and then set it on the table.

“Thank you,” Kihyun said and then picked up the box to take out the tiny black chip that regular holophones were projected out of.

He didn’t think he’d need the chip, but he slipped it into sleek wristlet with a click. Next to him, Hoseok gave him a devious smirk, but Kihyun held up a finger. “I’m not switching over to the holophone just yet, but I figured I could keep it safe here.”

“Sure,” Hoseok teased. Then he stood and collected both their plates. “I’ll convert you, just wait.”

 

Mornings in his office were always boring, but Kihyun had a new device to play with, so he wasn’t too bad off. He turned the glass phone over and over, trying to see where the motherboard was, but aside from the tiniest of glints when he tilted it just right, the glass was crystal clear. It had to be nanite technology.

Nanite Technology was still in the beta stage as far mainstream consumerism went. It was used on an industrial level and sometimes during surgical procedures, but those were in special cases as it was still in its clinical trials.

Kihyun had dabbled a bit in nanite technology back in the day, but when his prototype for more efficient magnetized travel hit the markets by storm, he had put it on the back burner. He brought the phone closer to his face to examine it even better. There was slight frosting on the edges and he was surprised to find that he left no fingerprints on the glass, but there were definitely a few dried drops of coffee near the top.

Keeping this thing clean was going to be a welcomed hassle. Something about having to sit down to maintain it just did things to Kihyun. It was why he had refused to use the smart-glass for his windows in his penthouse. He liked having a separate television, just like he liked having individual appliances in the kitchen instead of the all-in-one that most people opted for. He liked the meticulous actions of cooking and cleaning and maintaining things. They made him feel alive.

He often wondered if he was born in the wrong era at times. The era of minimizing everything into small chips that plugged right into the wristlets that most people wore. He had missed the era when technology had weight, had substance, and as the years went on and more things became handsfree or smaller, he couldn’t help but feel a bit of melancholy nostalgia.

Kihyun had set down his phone when it lit up, flashing the notification onto his screen that Hoseok was calling. He answered it with a swipe, enjoying the slight vibration from the glass and immediately Hoseok’s face and bare shoulders was on his screen.

“Hey babe, bad news,” Hoseok said as his hair was being slicked back by product. Disembodied hands were connected to a headless figure that tutted as Hoseok turned so that Kihyun had a better view of him. “I just got booked for the Phoenix fashion show in Milan. I’ll be gone for the better part of a month.”

“I could take my vacation days and visit you, love,” Kihyun replied, smiling at the way the makeup artist turned Hoseok’s face towards her and began painting on deep blue eyeshadow.

“You’ve got that big conference coming up, I don’t want you to miss that,” Hoseok said and then the feed of his face switched to his implant.

Kihyun got an eyeful of a black shirt, dotted with golden flakes of makeup. He could see Hoseok look around, gaze flicking from the makeup artist’s face which was pinched in concentration to the mirror where his reflection showed that he was a lot more clothed than Kihyun had initially thought.

Just barely hanging on to his shoulders was a feathered gauzy fabric with tiny jewels running down the front in dripping formations. Kihyun couldn’t see what pants Hoseok was wearing, but a quick glance let him know that it was some type of leather fabric that clung to his well developed thighs.

“I can do the conference remotely,” Kihyun answered. He and Hoseok had spent a combined thirty-six hours together over the past month and to say that he missed the times when they were glued at the hip, was an understatement. “Besides, you’ve always wanted me to come to a show.”

Hoseok admired the work of the makeup artist in the mirror and quietly thanked her before sliding off the chair. All of this was easily seen and heard by Kihyun via the link, but as soon as Hoseok started moving more, the link began to stutter.

“I’ll...details…” Hoseok’s voice cut in and out and then Kihyun’s screen went blank.

He sighed, mildly annoyed at the sudden disconnect. He just missed Hoseok so much so these tiny video conferences they had were all he had. Then the connection returned this time from Hoseok’s holophone.

“Sorry, told you it still had a few bugs. Unless I connect directly to the Implant network, it does this,” he apologized and Kihyun found himself already preferring the holophone feed. At least that way he could see Hoseok.

With dark smokey blue eyeshadow, dangerously pink-red lips, and the deep v-neckline of the top Hoseok was wearing, he looked absolutely stunning. Kihyun longed to feel the softness of Hoseok's cheeks or his warmth that radiated from his body. Their time apart was taking a toll on him and even just these moments where he got to really look at Hoseok made his heart ache and his breath leave his lungs.

“I can send you the details for my hotel, after this walk. They want me out in about five, so I’m going to have to go soon. But I wanted to tell you so that you didn’t prepare dinner for me,” Hoseok paused and frowned. “I know I told you that tonight was my last show of the season, but when Minhyuk didn’t show up for the preliminary photo shoot, they called my agent.”

Kihyun sighed and a twinge in the back of his throat made him swallow thickly. He had been hoping they would get to spend more time in the penthouse together but, Hoseok had become increasingly busy these days. Still, he was flexible. He had vacation hours he could take now. After all, being CEO did mean that he was able to move his schedule around more freely. That way he could go to the floating city of Milan, watch the show and maybe just maybe, he would be able to spend some quality time with his husband.

“I’m happy for you, really. You’ve been sought after so much,” Kihyun said and tried to keep his wistfulness hidden from his voice. It was no use, though. Hoseok knew him too well.

“But you miss me,” Hoseok said with a small pout. Then his attention was pulled away for a moment -- voices shouting in the background for last calls -- before he smiled down at his holophone. “I miss you too. I’ll make it up to you, promise. Gotta go, babe. Love you!”

The connection was cut off and Kihyun was left staring at his reflection in his screen. Dark circles were painted under his eyes and his hair was standing up on one side from resting his head on his palm. Perhaps he needed to take better care of himself while Hoseok was gone. He didn't want to worry him, especially not when he had these big shows planned.

Kihyun sighed and pushed himself to his feet. A good night's rest and maybe a trip to the revitalizer would put his body in top shape. But all of that was going to have to wait until after the meeting. No more hiding from the rest of his cabinet. He had to face them at some point.

 

YOO Enterprises was responsible for the technology behind of all floating cities. They did everything from manufacturing their products, to employing countless researchers and thinkers for the next big project. Kihyun primarily oversaw the development of new projects and either signed off on them or vetoed them. It was one of his many jobs as CEO, and perhaps the one that was most important.

Currently, they were working on expanding into the waste management sectors. But with the substantial failure of the last project, Kihyun was hesitant to take on another waste management project. His company had the funds no doubt, but with the wastelands below continually growing by the day and reports of seeing strange masked figures seen rummaging through the dumps below, he couldn't exactly put his desire aside.

He knew the basics of where his company left its waste _and_ made sure it complied with all the environmental guidelines, so it wasn’t his waste that they were trying to manage. No, it was all the waste of the ever-growing floating cities. They were cropping up over every major city that existed before the fallout and then spreading over other areas.

Atlantis, the floating city over water came to mind immediately. Kihyun's designs were not meant for anything other than terrestrial environments. So the thought of a floating city over water had him less than pleased. Still, even the cities that were over land posed a threat.

Because the earth was more or less scorched below, people had long since moved to the floating cities. So many had refused to stay down there after the fallout. The war hadn't been too devastating, but the populations were frightened enough. His pitch had been what made his company huge. Offering a new life for all people and minimizing the impact on the world below. It had been initially proposed as a way to combat population growth, but the war had changed so much. The only people left below were the ones who wanted to stay with the old ways. There weren't many, Kihyun had been told, but the numbers they had were alarming.

Entire civilizations were being formed. Discarded technology from the floating cities allowed them to build and spread until now. They weren't a threat for now, but Kihyun couldn't help but feel that his company's failure with the waste management had been their fault. It was a thought that had been keeping him up at night. And with the request for another floating city to be built over Nairobi, Kihyun could not afford to worry about those that dwelled below.

The floating cities were more or less the same as their grounded ancestors, except they were built with sustainability in mind. Hanging gardens and clean eco-living had been a major design focus for every building. There were districts and zones in every structure, so that the need for personal hovercraft was not a necessity but a luxury. It cut down on emissions and by the time Kihyun had perfected the magnetic grd beneath every city, the means of transport no longer used fuel to power itself. Instead everything was charged by the sun at the designated charging stations.

Public transportation had become the norm for 99% of the population if they wanted to travel from one side of the city to the next. Arriving and departing times worked on the dot, and the whole system was run so smoothly, that the personal hovercraft industry had moved largely from providing for the average consumer to only the elite.

This was the next project they were starting on and it gave Kihyun all kinds of conflicting thoughts. While part of him was excited to put the prototype vehicles he had seen some of his brightest minds create, a large part of him was worried about the ultimate cost to the scorched earth below. They needed to get their materials from somewhere and Kihyun was well aware that some of the materials he needed came from not-so-savory processes.

Still, the company needed to make profits, so as Kihyun walked through the doors to the meeting, he made up his mind. The difference between slim profit margins and becoming the number one contender for luxury hovercraft was a big gap.

The only problem was, it would take more and more of his limited time from his husband. Sitting down at the head of the table, Kihyun laced his fingers, prepared to hear the first of the pitches for the projects. It was going to be an arduous decision, but in the end, he knew it was going to be worth it.

He tapped on the thin pane glass at his seat to begin the meeting. While everyone else employed their holographs, Kihyun had an old-school glass pane with a frosted back that hid the components inside. He pressed on the glass, enjoying the slight vibration and then looked up. It was time for the first pitch.

 

It was nearly time for Kihyun to get out of the bath when Hoseok called. He had half a mind to put him on hold while he dressed himself for bed, but the devil on his shoulder made him answer the call right then and there. He tapped the band on his wrist – this time not using the glass phone that Hoseok had given him – and was greeted by his sleepy-eyed husband.

“Hey baby,” Hoseok said and yawned. “How was your day?”

Kihyun couldn’t help but stare at the way Hoseok’s eyes made little crescent moons when he yawned and all he wanted to do was snuggle up next to him and kiss each lid and then maybe his nose and maybe his lips and–

Hoseok let out a chuckle that pulled Kihyun from his thoughts. “Oh babe, this is kind of kinky.”

Heat much hotter than the water Kihyun was soaking in flushed through his body. He bit his lip and then smiled shyly. “Well don’t get any ideas. You just caught me at a bad time.” He regretting listening to the devil on his shoulder this time. Hoseok always had a way of doing that to him. Not in a bad way, just in a Kihyun-suddenly-felt-super-bashful way.

“More like a good time,” Hoseok teased. He leaned up on his shoulder and Kihyun could see that he was bare chested.

Kihyun sunk lower into the water. Bubbles were tickling his chin and he gave Hoseok a look. “You don’t know who could be watching the feed…”

“I know, I know. I’m just poking your buttons, babe,” Hoseok said and then flexed his chest. He knew what he was doing. Kihyun knew it too, but he didn’t say anything to stop him. Sometimes he liked a little tease like this. With the distance between them right now, it offered a tiny semblance of how they used to be.

Kihyun watched him, dipping his chin beneath the water and then his lips. He blew bubbles and Hoseok laughed at him. It didn’t sound the same over the video call, but it was close enough. Kihyun slid back up to a sitting position and sighed. “I miss you so much.”

“I miss you, too,” Hoseok said once he sobered. “You didn’t tell me about your day. I’m guessing you don’t want to, so I’ll tell you about mine.”

Hoseok dove into a tale about how Hyungwon and him had done a blind makeup challenge for their followers after the show. It explained how shiny Hoseok’s face was right now. It had been washed very recently. Apparently after they finished each other’s faces they switched to the implant feed and everyone got to see their reactions from their own points of view.

To Kihyun this story wasn’t all that thrilling, but listening to Hoseok tell it was all that mattered. He loved his voice, the cadence it had as he smiled and laughed through it. He loved the way Hoseok’s face lit up and how he had to shift in the bed to pantomime their actions. It made the ache in his heart grow, but it also made him feel his love for Hoseok so much stronger.

As the call was drawing to an end, Kihyun pressed a button on the side of the basin to let the water out. He kept the holophone feed on his face as he got out and walked to their bedroom. But after hearing Hoseok’s protests he did let him have a quick glance at his bum before returning it to his burning face. The things he would do for love.

“I have to be up early for some keynotes, but I don’t want to hang up,” Kihyun said. He grabbed his phone off the dresser and switched the feed over to it as he sank into their bed.

“Let’s fall asleep together again.” Hoseok offered.

Kihyun set the glass phone on its side and climbed beneath the blankets. They were warm as per the bed warm setting, but it was never the same as having his husband there for body heat. Kihyun pulled the blankets up over his nose to hide the sad smile from Hoseok, but it was futile.

“I’ll sing you to sleep,” Hoseok said.

“You don’t have to,” Kihyun replied. He felt guilty for how often Hoseok did this for him, but it really did help soothe him into the arms of slumber.

“I’d do anything for you, my love,” Hoseok said with a forlorn expression. “I’d quit this career for you, if you asked.”

“You know I wouldn’t,” Kihyun replied. He knew how much Hoseok loved doing what he was doing. He wouldn’t even dream of asking him to quit. After all, it was because of Hoseok’s dream to be a world renown model that the two had even met.

“But I would,” Hoseok pressed.

Kihyun wanted to say more, but Hoseok started singing softly while staring at Kihyun with those eyes that he could get lost in. He didn’t know how long Hoseok had sung to him that night, but somewhere after the second verse, Kihyun’s eyes closed and he drifted off to sleep.

  
  
☍☍☍

 

YOO Labs were home to some of the country’s brightest and greatest thinkers. His employees were responsible for the creation of one of the strongest and lightest building materials that made floating cities possible. If it had not been for them, then Kihyun’s initial idea would have died long ago after the first crash of a small residential home all those years ago.

There were still occasional malfunctions these days, but the backup system kept them from plummeting down to the earth below. Instead, they are caught by the backup bots that keeps all people and creatures from plummeting to the ground. Being some dozen miles above the ground would be a deadly fall to anyone.

Kihyun waved his wristlet over the sensor and the doors swooshed open. He stepped into the great room and surveyed his researchers dutifully working hard in their projects. He always did daily tours of every wing of his company if given the time and seeing as today was his last day before he took off to Milan, he wanted to make sure everything was going as smoothly as possible.

He stopped by one of the stations working on Nanite technology, something he had decided to bring back after the last meeting about luxury hovercrafts, and smiled. They seemed to be doing rather well from what he could see with the naked eye. Nanites were incredibly small, so most of the work was done at the microscopic level.

A man was sitting behind a pane of glass wearing a black suit with tiny blue balls on it taking his every movement. The scientist instructed the man to walk across the room and when the subject was done, the scientist had him do it several more times before taking him out of the room and bringing in a new subject that was wheelchair-bound.

The man looked to be about the same size as the previous subject, and was wearing a similar suit only without the blue markers for movement. He was instructed to think about standing up and after a few heart-freezing moments, the man very slowly stood up and began crying.

Kihyun turned to the researcher next to him as she began explaining the results.

“We have installed nanite technology into the fabric, what it does is send tiny electrical pulses to the nerve endings, allowing the body to respond. The suit uses the strength given by the interwoven nanites to aid the subject so that they do not fall over due to their atrophied leg and lower back muscles. Eventually, we would like to minimize the need of the suit to a small spinal implant where the fracture was, but for now, he will have to wear the suit to be able to walk.”

“The implant, it’s purely medical right?” Kihyun asked. In that instant, his mind was going a million miles per second.

“Uses only the impulses from the brain and relays them past the damaged tissue, allowing for him to walk. No connections to the outside world other than initial calibration. So far, it has only been successful with patients with recent spinal injuries, but we’re hoping to pass on this prototype to the medical researchers for further refinement.”

Kihyun smiled. Nanite technology was in fact the way of the future. He pulled out the glass phone and gave it a press with his finger, bringing up a menu and scrolled through it absently. The weight of it in his hand helped him sort through his thoughts.

“Contact, TechCorp,” he said suddenly.

The researcher looked at him like he had grown a fifth head and stuttered. “S-sir?”

“Tell them, we have their prototype for the nervous system relayer and tell them I would like to speak to them about a possible partnership,” Kihyun said resolutely. He knew he sounded out of his mind to the researcher, not only because they were paid to research and not do secretary duties, but because everyone who worked at YOO Enterprises knew his stance on TechCorp.

However, Kihyun had the idea that if he could get a foot in the door with the company, he could at the very least have insight to what exactly went on behind doors. It was vigilante-esque, but it would quell his concerns over his husband having the implant and perhaps open the door to him getting one as well. _Perhaps_.

  
☍☍☍

 

Airports were still one of Kihyun’s least favorite things. Despite the fact that he had helped with air travel through one of his many transportation improvements, the actual function of the airports themselves were not exactly as finely tuned as the cities.

At the vibration of his phone, Kihyun pulled it from his pocket to see a live feed of himself walking in the direction of Hoseok and for a split second, he almost looked over his shoulder at who was watching him, but the shadow of a man in a black suit staring at him made him hesitate. He had a vague notion of seeing the man enter the terminal waiting area after he did. Then, he caught sight of Hoseok standing not too far away from him, waving and smiling at him in that way that made him look like an overgrown child. It was too endearing and Kihyun couldn’t help but smile.

His heart swelled in his chest as he tried his best not to start sprinting towards him. It had been two weeks since that call during his bath, and Kihyun desperately wanted to make up for lost time, but he knew he had eyes on him. He was the CEO of YOO Enterprises and after the announcement of a partnership for the tactile Implant update, well, he had a lot more eyes on him than before.

“We gotta stop meeting like this,” Hoseok said, enveloping Kihyun into a hug.

He always smelled so good and was so warm. Kihyun melted into the hug as he circled his arms around him and buried his face in the crook of his neck. He missed him so much and for the first time in months, he was going to be with him without the worry of work. He was finally on vacation and he was going to enjoy it damnit.

“I missed you too,” Hoseok said against his neck and Kihyun simply clung to him tighter. He needed this a lot more than he realized. He stayed like this, simply breathing in Hoseok’s smell and enjoying his solidness, until the latter gently pushed him back.

Kihyun took a deep breath and then grinned. “I take it you have the night off?”

Hoseok nodded and laced his fingers through Kihyun’s. “Tonight, tomorrow and the next day. I technically have a rehearsal tomorrow morning but I’m going to be linking with Hyungwon for that. It was the only way they let me off.”

Kihyun gazed into Hoseok’s eyes and for the smallest moment he was glad he had the implant if it meant they would get to spend time together. But, as soon as the thought was in his mind, he went rigid and looked away again. His distrust of the technology was still very much there, partnership or not. In fact, the partnership made him even more wary.

“Just promise me you won’t turn it on while we’re together and I’ll be happy as a clam,” Kihyun said with a squeeze of Hoseok’s palm.

“Are you still going on about that?” Hoseok whined. “You didn’t seem to mind too much last night when I let you see me–”

“Hoseok! We’re in public,” Kihyun hissed and covered his husband’s mouth. It was then promptly licked and he swallowed a yelp and wiped his hand off on his pant leg.

“And we’re husbands, people know we sleep together. It’s expected. Talking about it in public isn’t going to cause a scandal,” Hoseok laughed and led the two of them towards the terminal.

“Ah, don’t be so candid about it,” Kihyun said and smacked him on the arm. He wasn’t usually so bashful about that side of their relationship, but knowing that the number of eyes on him were increased, he did feel the need to be even more private about his life. “If I wanted the world to know about my sex life I would tell them, but I don’t so please let’s not talk about okay?”

Hoseok gave him a look and laughed. “Whatever you say, Your Highness. Just don’t go to my Impage, and we’ll have nothing to fight about.”

“I sure hope you’re joking,” Kihyun said in a low voice. A man in a black suit passed by them and he had the growing suspicion that it was the same man he had seen earlier when he arrived at the airport.

“It’s nothing too vulgar, just me talking about how I missed your kisses while Hyungwon and I were getting our makeup done. I may have mentioned something else, but–”

Kihyun smacked his arm again and glared at him. “How do I see it?”

“You need an Implant first, but I can pull it up on your phone if you want? I promise it’s not bad, honey. I would never do that to you. Tease you about it, yeah, but I would never do anything to hurt you or your career,” Hoseok said and planted a kiss on Kihyun’s temple.

The more he talked about the Implant and the special network dedicated to it, the more Kihyun anxious. Out there was a growing network that was a datamine to the everyday life of individuals. It would only be a matter of time before this information was used against them. It was the main thing that was driving his desire to partner with TechCorp. He needed to know more about what they were doing behind closed doors.

Kihyun pulled out the glass phone while they waited to board the plane. “Pull it up, please.”

On the screen, Hoseok and Hyungwon were seen staring in the reflection of themselves through Hoseok’s eyes. They were in the beginning stages of having makeup put on. Both of their faces were bare and being wiped down with moisturizing wipes by their respective artists.

“So, how’s married life?” Hyungwon asked. He was being made to tilt his head to the side while the makeup artist started applying primer.

“You ask like I’ve just gotten married,” Hoseok laughed and examined his skin in the mirror. He had a tiny stress breakout cropping up on his cheeks. He pointed it out to the makeup artist and she soothed his concerns.

It was then that Kihyun recognized that the sounds of the makeup artist’s voices were muffled in comparison to Hoseok’s and Hyungwon’s. He paused it by touching the screen and nudged Hoseok. “The Implant has selective audio recording?”

“Yeah, new feature released last week. Now when I stream, I can block out anything unimportant. Makes the content more streamlined,” Hoseok said matter of factly. “You seem pretty interested for someone who constantly says he doesn’t want one.”

“I don’t want one. I can admire the ingenuity though,” Kihyun said and immediately fell into his thoughts.

Selective audio recording seemed innocent enough to the average consumer, but to Kihyun it sounded like trouble. How did he know if TechCorp wasn’t listening to them now if they could block out sound. It could probably do the reverse and focus in on certain audio input without activating the implant itself. The possibilities were terrifying, but Kihyun didn’t want to alarm Hoseok, so he tapped his phone and the video continued.

“Please, you spend more time with me at these shows than with your husband. I may as well be your work boyfriend,” Hyungwon said and then examined the layer of foundation on his face. He turned his head in every direction, eyes never leaving the mirror until he was satisfied.

Hoseok sighed and closed his eyes, so the screen went red, the color of the insides of his eyelids. “Ha ha. But you’re right… I miss him a lot. We do video calls, but it’s not the same. Can’t even kiss him when I want to.” He laughed ruefully. “Funny how ever since we got married, I’ve been away more often than not. It’s a wonder he doesn’t forget me. Not that he could, I mean look at me,” Hoseok added at the end, but Kihyun could see the way pain painted his features with the slightest bit of sorrow and guilt.

“You guys ever use the link to fuck?” Hyungwon asked unabashedly. The makeup artist was adding highlighter and bronzer to contour his face. He sucked in his cheeks and looked at Hoseok in the mirror.

Hoseok’s face went the faintest shade of pink under his foundation, which told Kihyun that he was blushing pretty hard. It was cute and he couldn’t help but bump his shoulder at his reaction. In response, Hoseok bumped him back and nodded at the screen for Kihyun to keep paying attention.

“I keep thinking about it, but he doesn’t want an Implant. He has this thing about privacy and he thinks TechCorp is the big bad,” Hoseok explained.

“Oh my god, don’t tell me he’s one of those diehard conspiracy theorists. Does he wear tinfoil on his head at night?” Hyungwon quipped and Hoseok reached across the short distance to slap his chest.

“That’s my husband you’re talking about. And no, he just doesn’t think they’re what they say they are. I mean, he owns his own company so he probably knows more than either of us do about what goes on behind closed doors,” Hoseok said.

“Oh, so he has insider information? What is TechCorp gonna do? Turn us all into zombies? As if! This little implant just records signals from our eyes and ears, it’s not like it controls our brains,” Hyungwon replied.

Hoseok stared at the mirror in contemplation. Whatever else Hyungwon had said after that was muffled until Hoseok turned his attention back to him after a few moments. “I’m sorry what were you saying?”

“Use the link to do the dirty, I’m sure he’d like to see it from your eyes. Maybe it’ll convince him to get one,” Hyungwon said and then the video cut.

Kihyun half frowned while he stared at his fingers through the glass phone. He looked up at Hoseok and forced a smile, his earlier concerns compounding. He had to find out what TechCorp was planning no matter what.

“I didn’t hear anything about you missing my kisses,” he said, teasing Hoseok.

“Selective memory. And, you also didn’t hear me say anything too risque did you?” He grinned and winked at Kihyun.

Kihyun had to concede.“You win this time, and this time only.”


	2. The Implantation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WC: 10,304

The floating city of Milan was breathtaking to behold. It was the perfect mix of grounded architecture mixed with new age hover technology. Some of the historic buildings had been saved and turned into the museum district, while others had been repurposed and fitted to abide by the regulations. Those areas were dusted with soft pink and yellow lights. The pink to represent historic aspect and the yellow to give it that aged look. It wasn’t in Kihyun’s original plans, but he did like seeing how each city made its own twist.

The only thing Kihyun wasn’t too fond of was how they implemented his train system here. Instead of taking it under the residential zones, they had the bullet train system run through them in large tunnels with windows that gave him glimpses into the everyday life here.

He saw families sitting at their tables, concentrated in rooms watching the latest football game, and even some of the rooms gave sight to more intimate moments of parents reading to their children, couples arguing, friends canoodling. It was human life in all its forms and it made Kihyun feel like a voyeur seeing it all.

Next to him, Hoseok was playing with his Implant. Flicking it on and occasionally transferring whatever he found interesting to Kihyun’s glass phone, but mostly the two of them just sat there, Hoseok’s arm around Kihyun, while he bounced from one interest to the next.

The train dipped below the city for a few miles, displaying the safety net robots flying around with their tentacled arms. Their visual input cameras were flashing a pale green, indicating that the backup system was still working and the city’s magnetic floating devices were in good order.

Kihyun lifted in his seat to look out the window, thinking he may be about to catch sight of the strange masked figures below. But, all he saw was blackness occasionally dotted by the flashing lights of a waste-management vehicle. Maybe they were just rumors. People lived so peacefully now, so legends and myths were often borne of boredom. It must have been the imaginative mind of a civilian that concocted the masked figures.

Just as the train was returning to the city, Kihyun caught sight of a flash below. It was like a small strike of lightning. Mounds of rubble and empty skeletal buildings lit up. Shadows moved in the darkness, but that could have been from the train moving. Kihyun was glued to the window, straining his eyes but his vision was obscured by the train pitching upwards and they were back in the floating city’s limits.

Kihyun sat back down, getting lost in his head. He chewed the inside of his cheek trying t process what he had seen. He couldn’t decide if it was confirmation bias that he saw the shadows. Maybe there had been people down there. He shivered momentarily and then leaned into Hoseok’s arm. He was here for Hoseok, not work and definitely not to solve a mystery.

 

When they arrived at their hotel, Kihyun was surprised to find out they would be staying on the top floor, but when they checked in with their wristlets, the room showed up under his name. That explained a lot of things. Being the father of all the floating cities, he was often allowed to stay in the best room any hotel offered for absolutely no charge.

The elevator was another design he wasn’t too keen on. It was more of an outside lift. Where glass would usually be, there was nothing. Just the slight hum of the backup net used to catch anyone that may fall out. The wind was pretty icy the higher they went, so Kihyun hugged his coat tighter around him, which lead to Hoseok pulling him against him under the guise of “sharing warmth”. He gave him a thankful look and snuggled in closer.

The ride wasn’t long, but Kihyun was still deep in his own mind so when the lift stopped, he stood there in Hoseok’s arms, not having realized they were on their floor. A gentle shake roused him from his thoughts and he gave Hoseok a weak smile and apologized. Something about what he saw was plaguing him.

“Ah, home, sweet home!” Hoseok said as they entered the suite, arms open wide and smiling. He made a beeline for the bed and flopped face first onto it.

Each of them had a routine. Hoseok was always the first one to find the bed while Kihyun had to shed his "outer shell". This usually meant his formal clothes. Whenever they traveled he always wore the latest designs because Hoseok had friends in high places in the fashion world.

And with him being a model, he clearly could not have his husband walking around in last year's design. It never bothered Kihyun. No, he loved indulging Hoseok. He loved giving in to him. It was in his blood as he liked to say. He was Hoseok's so irrevocably that the matter of turning him down was so hard.

Kihyun closed the door after the autoluggage rolled in and started undressing without thinking. He took off his coat, slinging it on the back of a chair, then his tie, tossing that on top of his coat and unbuttoned the first button of his shirt and then his cuffs. It was almost ritualistic, but when he had rid himself of his constrictions, he felt relieved. They were finally somewhere without the eyes of others.

Still pretty firmly consumed in his own mind, Kihyun walked over to the windows and drew back the curtains to reveal the city below. Being this high up didn’t scare him, not in the slightest. He liked being away from the hustle and bustle of everyday people and if he could live somewhere more private like the primitive suburbs generations before him had, then he would. He just valued his privacy and peace of mind too much to want to live amongst everyone else.

Leaning against the wall and taking in the zonal lights below, Kihyun smiled. He was glad his city design was more or less followed with the exception of the transportation. After all, it was his own idealization. But, he could not dictate what other floating cities did. He could only give them the guidelines and hope that they would follow.

His eyes were once again drawn to the waste district. It was alive with many different flashing lights from the trains, hoverbuses, and personal hovercrafts. He bit his lip, seeing the ghost of the flash in his mind and sighed. What was it that he had seen?

Hoseok came up beside Kihyun and pulled him against him, mouthing along his neck to his nape and then stopping, arms draped over Kihyun’s shoulders. “You finally have me all to yourself and all you want to do is look out the window?”

Kihyun smiled and turned around, hands on Hoseok’s shoulders. Hoseok had a point. After all this time he finally had him all to himself. He forced the thoughts of what lay below the city from his mind. He could worry about that later. He leaned up to kiss Hoseok, inhaling deeply and then pulling away, sighing. It gave him just enough time to think of what to say. “I have to admire my handiwork,” he said as an excuse.

“Mmhmm,” Hoseok said and then taking one of Kihyun’s hands, he dragged it down his body to his pants. “How about you let me admire your handiwork?”

Kihyun wet his lips and smirked. “So this is what you had planned for tonight? No fancy dinner? No night on the town?” He kissed along Hoseok’s jaw, his heart rate jumping with every press of his lips. He missed this. He missed this type of contact. “And you call yourself a romantic,” Kihyun teased.

“I am a romantic,” Hoseok murmured and ground his hardening member into Kihyun’s hand. “Right now I want to romantically have my way with you in a hotel room.”

Kihyun felt heat coiling low in his abdomen. “Is that so?” He let Hoseok lead him to the bed across the room and made a tiny startled squeak when the back of his knees hit the mattress.

“Oh yeah, let me just romantically undress you,” Hoseok purred and Kihyun felt his stomach flutter. After all these years of being together, Hoseok’s words still reduced him to putty.

Hoseok started with his socks, pulling them off and letting them snap into his palm. He then massaged his thumb into Kihyun’s arch, eliciting a tiny gasp and a curling of toes. He massaged them for a short while, kissing along Kihyun’s ankles and whispering soft words that Kihyun couldn’t quite make out, but he didn’t need to. Hoseok knew how to take care of him so well that they didn’t need words.

Hands slid up Kihyun’s legs, settling just where his pants line was. Kihyun’s stomach fluttered again as he felt gentle fingers begin to undo his button and zipper. He sucked in a breath, holding it slightly while Hoseok gave him a look that made his entire body tingle. He let it out shakily as Hoseok hooked his fingers through the loops, giving the pants a pull. Kihyun was in nothing but his boxer briefs.

Soft kisses trailed from his ankles to his inner thighs, stopping just short of the only fabric separating them. Hoseok looked up at him from that angle, eyes smoldering with want and love. He dipped to kiss right where the thin fabric of Kihyun's boxer briefs met his thigh and then bit down gently. That made Kihyun's eyelids flutter.

Kihyun's underwear came off slowly, with much praise from Hoseok about how lovely his legs were, how amazing he was, how much he loved him. They were cast aside without much thought before a hot mouth delineated his hips, across his stomach. Hoseok paused to smile up at Kihyun before he lightly danced his fingers up the length of his legs and rested them at the swell of his waist.

Kihyun whined in the back of his throat. Hoseok always knew how to work him up so much. He was just about aching for him to touch him  _ there _ . He squirmed on the bed, trying to move so that Hoseok would maybe just brush across the sensitive organ, but Hoseok knew him too well and gave him a smirk.

"Not yet, love. I want to see you begging and flushed for me," Hoseok said.

He returned to the task at hand and pressed into Kihyun's hips, leaving faint red marks where his fingers touched. Every inch of skin he came into contact with felt like it was set aflame. So many years of being together and Kihyun still felt this feeling. He had to bite back another whimper when Hoseok moved back to undress with a sultry little dance. The sway of his hips, the ripple of his lean muscles, all of it made Kihyun's breath catch and he didn't even realize he was holding his breath until Hoseok climbed on top of him in a feline manner.

Their lips met with a crushing but loving force. Kihyun could feel every intention behind Hoseok's kiss. He knew they were about to make love all night until they were dehydrated. He could taste it in Hoseok's mouth, in the way he slowly and almost painstakingly ground against him. He could feel it in the way that Hoseok cradled his head, twining his fingers through his silky hair. He could feel it in the weight of Hoseok's body. Something about feeling his lovers body on his just made everything feel so perfect.

Kihyun was getting so lost in this moment. Every inhale, every caress of Hoseok's hands on his body had him arching and curling his toes. He could feel the flush on his body, the heat collecting at the base of his neck, in the pit of his stomach, at his groin. He could feel the fire in his veins. He was overcome with desire and adoration for Hoseok. And now, all he wanted was for him to touch him, to fill him. To make him lose his mind over and over again. He was so ready to dive off the deep end, to become nothing but gummy limbs and breathy moans that called out his name.

"Please, baby," Kihyun begged. He could hear the desire thick in his voice. It had masked every other emotion. He just wanted this so bad. He just needed to be reminded of how much they loved each other. He needed this physical contact like he needed oxygen. He needed it so bad, so very very bad.

Hoseok kissed him once more before rubbing his nose against his. "Okay love."

Those were the only coherent words that Kihyun heard before Hoseok reached between them, grabbing a hold of his aching and throbbing length and took it in his grasp. Kihyun arched up into Hoseok involuntarily. He could not control his body's reactions anymore. He was left completely in Hoseok's care.

The gentle stroking gradually turned into more frequent gliding of his hands. Finger's sticky with precum and spurred on by Kihyun's pitiful little moans, Hoseok finally moved lower to take Kihyun's length in his mouth. The hot wetness of it all yanked a groan so loud from Kihyun it stunned him. He hiccuped, bringing the back of his hand to his lips to hide more sounds. But, Hoseok softly pulled his hand away from his face.

"Let me hear every single little whimper you make, please. I've missed them so much," Hoseok said and Kihyun had no choice but to give in. He was Hoseok's so completely, so utterly.

Kihyun balled the sheets in his hands as Hoseok bobbed up and down, engulfing him to the hilt, swirling his tongue and sucking just the way that Kihyun liked. It made his knees week, his whole body tingle. Kihyun felt like he was about to explode. He could feel the tension in his groin build and build until it almost hurt. He was so sensitive. Every swipe of Hoseok's hot, wet tongue. Every time he popped off to exhale on his tip cooling the saliva that lubricated his head. Every movement Hoseok made set Kihyun's synapses on fire.

It was the gentle but slick prodding of Hoseok's digit against his anus that made Kihyun jump. He was so caught up in the way his dick was throbbing, so close to the edge, so close to giving into the ultimate pleasure that Hoseok's finger startled him. He didn't even see him grab the lube. He just knew that he was circling his hole, pressing against it lightly, and giving him a look that was filled with so much eager love.

Kihyun grabbed Hoseok's wrist, pushing his finger inside him and gasped. Just the thickness of his finger was doing things to him. He guided his husband on how to pleasure him to the fullest, gasping and groaning with every thrust. He had never been this sensitive in his life, but he chalked it up to how long it had been since they had done this.

Soon, Hoseok's lubricated length replaced the fingers that had stretched Kihyun. It brought a warbled sound from his throat, nearly ripping from him at how full he felt. He could feel the heat of his cock buried so deep in him.

Hoseok made slow but thoughtful thrusts into him. Each one was punctuated with praise such as 'You are so amazing.', 'I love you so much.', 'I can't get enough of you.', and 'I never want to let this end.'

Each time Kihyun felt his heart swell. He could feel the way he crossed his legs behind Hoseok, holding him deeper. He reached and connected their lips once more, tasting Hoseok's unique taste in his mouth. He moaned into the kiss, not letting go of his lips. He roamed his husband's mouth, rolling his tongue over his, lapping at his roof playfully and then pulled back from the kiss to let out a deep wanton moan.

The pressure was building within him once again. He could feel his cock that was pinned between their bodies throb, prepared to let loose his orgasm all over their connected chests. Kihyun screwed his eyes shut, sucking in a final breath and held it while Hoseok picked up a sporadic speed. Sometimes going fast, other times slowing down to pull out just to the tip before slamming back in. All of it brought Kihyun closer and closer to the edge.

"Cum for me baby," Hoseok said.

Kihyun let loose the breath and his body was wracked with shudders as he cried out. His legs trembled around Hoseok's waist, sweaty and weak from his climax. He clung to Hoseok for dear life, needing him to ground him lest he fly away into the pleasure. It was so much. He felt like he was going to dissipate into thin air. Just travel until he was in the heavens above, swirling with the clouds until he was nothing more. Kihyun was gone. He was so gone and it was at Hoseok's hands.

A few moments later, Hoseok came his rhythm stuttering into jagged thrusts that stuck to Kihyun's ass. He clearly wanted to be so close to Kihyun and just could not get close enough. Lips found Kihyun's and he kissed them in his blissed-out state. His last memory of the night was Hoseok pulling out and cleaning him up.

  
☍☍☍

 

The next morning, Kihyun woke up to find that he and Hoseok were still tangled up. He gently pulled his legs free and rubbed his eyes with the backs of his hand hard. Being in a new city always seemed to take a lot of energy from him, but he hadn’t expected to wake up feeling so tired.

He guessed he should have, though. Foggy memories of last night came flooding to him and he felt himself flush deeply. He hadn't expected them to indulge as much as they did, but Kihyun was sure that he honestly only got about two hours of sleep collectively.

He looked over at the glass phone on the nightstand and picked it up, noting that it charged itself from contact with his skin. This little device was surprising him more and more each time he used it. First the nanite technology, now the charging from electrical pulses from nerves in his own palm. It was fascinating work and he had half a mind to ask Hoseok where on earth he had gotten it from. Clearly, the mind behind it was brilliant.

Honestly, Kihyun would have liked to recruit such a mind for his company. He could always use bright minds in nanite technology. That and he really wanted to know who had developed this phone. He quite liked it over the holophones that everyone else used.

Against his better judgment, Kihyun checked his work inbox and found three dozen messages about the partnership with TechCorp from various branches of his company. Most of the subject lines were: "URGENT! PLEASE READ!" That was not a good sign. He scrolled through the first six or so before he received a phone call from one of his department heads.

With a glance at Hoseok’s sleeping figure, he sighed, answered the phone call. "One moment please," he said and then put the phone on mute. He quietly slipped on his clothes and out the door. The hallway was silent, as they were the only room at the penthouse level, so Kihyun spoke in a hurried whisper and he made his way to the lift.

“What the hell is going on, Minhee?” he hissed. He wanted to enjoy his time with Hoseok, not have a huge damper put on it.

“TechCorp went live with the tactile Implant update and is teasing a second Implant called: Deep onto the masses. It seems our research had already been compromised and stolen by them. They have developed Deep which offers a total body experience for all Deep users. All they have to do is get a simple outpatient procedure, involving the original Implant being placed in its usual behind the ear location and then the second one at the third cervical disc of the spine.” She was speaking so hurriedly that Kihyun wasn't exactly certain he heard what she was saying.

“Woah, woah, slow down. What exactly does Deep do?” Kihyun’s heart was positively racing at this point. He stepped onto the lift, hair swirling from the wind around him and tried to keep calm.  Had TechCorp gone behind his back without contacting him first? He wouldn't put it past them, given how the meeting had gone with them. Something was definitely off about that company, but Kihyun could not exactly place what it was.

“It taps into the nervous system, paralyzes the user so that they can not only experience other user’s lives but an alternate persona on their network. It’s being called Deep Life, in which users can create a new identity and live through that. It’s currently in alpha, but a select few beta testers have been chosen.” Minhee paused, out of breath and Kihyun gripped the railing of the lift hard.

He had only met with them preliminarily, but nothing of this sort of depth. This was breaking all kinds of legal ties and right now Kihyun didn’t want to have to worry about this when he was supposed to be on vacation with his husband. He pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing and staring out into the floating city as the sun crested over the buildings. It  _ was _ a nice day out.

“Hoseok is one of the candidates,” Minhee said after a while and Kihyun almost dropped the phone.

“He what?!”

No. No, no, no. This could not be happening. He had a really bad feeling about this and needed to make sure Hoseok was okay. Kihyun mashed all the buttons on the lift and silently prayed for it to go back up. This was a move by TechCorp that he had not anticipated. Hell, he didn't think they would practice such shady business models, but here he was, about to get fucked and all he could do was mash the lift's buttons as it slowly moved up the floors.

“He is on the list they sent us. They’re asking for complete compliance for all candidates and are promising no harm will come to them,” Minhee said.

“What? No. Not even a bit of this is legal! Call our lawyers!” Kihyun shouted. He took a trembling breath and tried to steel himself but he was losing all his cool. He knew he should not have trusted TechCorp. He knew he had been making a bad decision, but now more than ever he knew that they were up to something nefarious.

“It’s in the contracts they sign. In the fine print, it states that TechCorp is allowed to call upon beta testers to test any new product they come out with if it is in relation to the Implant.”

Fuck, fuck fuck! Why did his amazing but naive husband sign up for this? Why did he have to put his life in danger? It wasn't as though TechCorp didn't know that they were married. There had to be an ulterior motive here. There just had to be.

“Jesus, fuck. Hoseok!” Kihyun hissed and then rapidly slammed the button again to go back to his floor. He was panicking in the worst way. He tightened his coat around him, squinting into the icy wind as he went higher.

How could Hoseok have not read the contract carefully? Kihyun had always expressed that contracts were important for any new technology. He had said it until he was blue in the face, but now? Now he had to find a way to get Hoseok out of the Deep program. He just didn't trust it one bit. Every fiber of his being was screaming no.

Maybe they were trying to force his hand. He had told them he was hesitant to even get an Implant himself. He saw the disappointed faces on the executives' faces. They all had an Implant, so why wouldn't he? Kihyun exhaled loudly, nostrils flaring. There was only one thing he could do, he told himself as he waited for the doors to open. He was going to have to take Hoseok’s place in the program. It was the only way he could make sure he was safe immediately. He knew the legal battle would take months if not years, and there was no telling what could happen to Hoseok by then.

Glaring at the slowly opening doors of the lift, Kihyun said, “Call my publicist and then TechCorp. Tell them, I’m taking Hoseok’s place and that I will campaign for them.”

“Sir, you can’t. Deep gives TechCorp access to your every thought. They can read your mind if they want. That's why the entire company has been on high alert.”

Kihyun grimaced. He would do anything for Hoseok. Even if it meant giving up the one thing he prized the most. His privacy. “Call them.”

The doors finally opened fully and Kihyun stepped through them.

 

Back in the hotel room, Kihyun found Hoseok sitting up on the bed, eyes glowing faintly white as he was linked with Hyungwon. He looked at Kihyun with ghostly white eyes and smiled, “Hey baby. Sleep alright?”

Kihyun nodded his head and then realized that Hoseok couldn’t exactly see him so he cleared his throat. “Yeah, I just went out for a walk. How long will you be linked?”

“Not much longer, Hyungwon thankfully did both our walks and he’s finishing up his right now. I just have to stay on for the director to talk to them and then the rest of the day is ours,” Hoseok said and then patted the bed next to him. “Come sit, you can see what I do.”

Every nerve in Kihyun’s body was telling him no and to hurry and get the both of them somewhere safe, but when Hoseok gave him his signature smile, well, he couldn’t help but give in. The second he sat down, the feed was transferred to the smartglass and Hoseok’s eyes returned to normal.

“Right here, he’s counting to make sure he stays in one pose long enough for photos and then he’s going to head back. We’re each doing about seven outfits, so he has to run my walks too for the timing, but that shouldn’t take long,” Hoseok said.

He looked positively excited watching the rehearsal and seeing all of his fellow models practice in their street clothes. It was endearing to Kihyun, so he gave Hoseok's thigh a squeeze, but he couldn’t exactly get the phone call out of his mind.

Against his better judgment again, he decided to tell Hoseok about the call and sighed. “I got a call this morning…”

“We promised no work on your vacation,” Hoseok replied instantly, eyes never leaving the smartglass.

Kihyun sighed loudly again and decided to just bite the bullet. “I’m getting an implant.”

The smartglass went blank as Hoseok turned to him, face wearing an expression of pure shock. “You….you what?”

“It’s part of the campaign for the partnership. I tried to put it off, but it seems I no longer can avoid it, so I will be getting the Implant as well as the Deep chip.” He knew he was lying. But a small white lie was what would keep Hoseok safe. It was worth it.

“Deep?”

Kihyun chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment, formulating his tale. He hated lying to Hoseok, but he didn’t want him to know that he was taking this risk to protect him. He didn’t want Hoseok to think anything was wrong. Not before his show.

“TechCorp and my newest idea. We’re offering the full body experience,” he smiled, but it only pinched his face, never meeting his eyes.

“Why do I get the feeling you’re not telling me something?” Hoseok said.

Kihyun cursed himself mentally. How could he think that Hoseok wouldn’t notice that he was lying? “Okay, you got me. TechCorp jumped the gun on this project, so I’m a little miffed, but I’m getting an implant okay? I thought you would be happy?”

Hoseok shook his head, worry creasing his brows. “I’m– Oh, it’s Hyungwon, hold on.”

Kihyun watched Hoseok converse with Hyungwon with growing anxiety. He wanted to tell him the truth. He hated hiding things from him, but a bigger part of him was more worried that Hoseok could possibly be in trouble. He was so blissfully unaware of the dangers of technological advancement, so caught up in his world of modeling and fashion shows that he didn’t see the risk he was taking.

It made Kihyun’s heart ache in the worst way. He just wanted to protect others from the monster he was sure TechCorp was, but most of all, he wanted to protect Hoseok. Kihyun found himself caressing Hoseok’s knee, running his thumb in circles, silently telling himself to calm down, but the more Hoseok talked to Hyungwon about the tactile update, the more he chewed on his cheek and the quicker his thumb circled.

“The tactile update is out!” Hoseok said once he blinked off the Implant.

“I know,” Kihyun mumbled and then cleared his throat. “Are you excited?”

Hoseok shrugged. “I actually don’t think I want it. Hyungwon said it was still very buggy so a lot of people were getting ghost feelings when they weren’t connected. Kinda freaks me out.”

Good, Kihyun thought to himself. That way he wouldn't have to worry about Hoseok progressing that far. Maybe he could convince him to remove the damn thing. That would keep him safe. But knowing Hoseok and his desire to be as connected to his fans as possible, it would be like taking a new toy away from a puppy.

Kihyun stifled another sigh and grinned at Hoseok. Maybe if they went around the city a bit, he could calm himself. "Let's go out," he suggested.

Hoseok studied his face for a moment and then leaned in to kiss his temple. "Try to relax, getting an Implant isn't that big of a deal."

 

The floating city of Milan had much more to do than Kihyun had initially thought. He figured a city of art and history would be rather on the tame side of things, but he and Hoseok soon found themselves walking into various shops for modifiers and alterations.

Kihyun had no desire to alter anything about himself, but Hoseok had bought a cat-ears modification to try out later. From the packaging, it would give him actual ears at the crest of his head that he could control and a cute little tail. It would last for about a few hours before the mod wore off. Hoseok had grinned at Kihyun, giving him that eyebrow wiggle that made Kihyun's stomach do somersaults.

Other mods in the shop were a bit more drastic. Ranging from permanent to semi-permanent to temporary, Kihyun found a dozen types of hybrid animal alterations. There were a few that were not animal related. But, those only offered enhanced senses like hearing and sight and touch. The rest of the store's shelves were lined with stimulants.

Kihyun had never been one to dabble in those. He had known others who had, and didn't judge them for it, but being the control freak he was, he knew they just weren't his cup of tea. Even though they had already made their purchase, Kihyun wandered around the shop, taking in all the products.

A few of them wore his company's logo and he could not help but feel a bit of pride swell in his chest. Hoseok wrapped himself around Kihyun's shoulders and placed a kiss on his neck before jumping back from him. Kihyun whirled around ready to chastise him, but the boyish smile on his face melted his heart.

So instead, Kihyun closed the distance between them and gave Hoseok a quick kiss and then winked. "It's time I let myself loose a bit. I'm giving up my privacy so I may as well get used to the world always looking at me."

Hoseok rolled his eyes. "It's not like the Implant is always on. And look, I've kept it off the whole time I was around you....aside from this morning, but that was for work. I know you don't like TechCorp, but they're not evil," Hoseok said.

Kihyun froze his expression in order to keep his true thoughts from showing. TechCorp definitely had something darker going on under wraps. But, of course, the general public did not know. He couldn't fault them. No one could, especially when TechCorp had one hell of a publicist team. Their image was so infallible that Kihyun knew he had to tread lightly if he wanted his own company to come out unscathed.

They had already seen the stocks soar due to the collaboration on this new project. It wasn't like investors could help it though. His face and company logo had been planted all over the preview of Deep. The advertisement was on every screen every few moments and Kihyun was just getting over cringing every time he saw his face pop up.

"I'll humor you, love," Kihyun said and laced his fingers through his. These were going to be his last moments without anything in his head and he wanted to cherish them.

After going in and out of a few stores, they made was at a small privately owned cafe. It was midday but the cafe was pretty empty. A soft jingle sounded overhead when they entered and the employee at the counter face lit up.

"Hi, how may I help you, sir?"

Most employees were hired for face value as the majority of life in floating cities was automated. Kihyun, however, was thankful to see an actual person for the first time since they started going from store to store.

"We'd like to take a moment to glance over your menu before ordering," Hoseok said before Kihyun could even open his mouth. He gave Hoseok a squeeze of his palm and the two of them made their way up to the counter.

The cafe was pretty neat. It was white with pale blue trimming of lighting on the edges of counters and in the grout on the floor. It had a chromatic future kind of feel that Kihyun was actually pretty soft for. He liked it when shops followed the ideals that the past had thought the future would be like. All chrome and white and blue. Little did the people of the past know that the future would be pretty much like how their present was, just with new technology.

Grays filled the floating city of Milan. Gray and terracotta tan. Most of the buildings were made from the materials that Kihyun's company had created, so they were relatively colorless. The only color came from the glow of the atmospheric lighting on the streets and from within the locations.

He figured that the great minds of the past would be disappointed by the aesthetic of the future once they got over the technological advances. But, that was something he had no control over.

While Kihyun was lost in his mind yet again, Hosoek had looked over the menu and ordered for them. Kihyun let himself be led to a quiet booth by the window. He glanced out it, noticing a suited man lingering on the opposite side of the street. He was leaning against the outside of the bakery, glasses on his face and looking directly in their direction. It was alarming, but when Kihyun turned to tell Hoseok of the man, he was gone.

"Babe, what is it?" Hoseok asked. He had been chatting the whole time about his upcoming show, but Kihyun had completely blocked him out when he was staring at the man.

"It's....nothing I guess. I must be seeing things," Kihyun said after a moment. He glanced out the window once more and frowned.

Soft fingers captured his chin and turned him towards Hoseok and for the first time, Kihyun noticed that he was wearing blue contacts. The deep richness of them swallowed Kihyun into them until he felt like he was falling. Hoseok just had this way of affecting him so completely.

"We're supposed to be having fun with each other today, give your brilliant mind a rest," Hoseok said finally. Then he leaned across the table and ghosted his impossibly soft lips over Kihyun's. "I love you."

Kihyun's heart fluttered in his chest and he swallowed down the momentary guilt he had. He knew he should have been paying attention to his husband rather than getting lost in his head. But he really could not shake the feeling that that man had given him.

"I'm sorry," Kihyun apologized and blinked away the daze from the kiss. "I love you too."

"I know," Hoseok chirped. He looked up at the employee as they brought their food over and gave him a cheery smile before thanking him.

The two of them chatted casually over their brunch. Most of it was about Hoseok's upcoming show and Kihyun was pretty excited to be able to see it. He had yet to go to one of his shows due to the both of them having such busy schedules. So, this was going to be a first and he really could not wait.

He knew Hoseok was going to take his breath away in every outfit he wore. He always did whenever Kihyun would search for the pictures of the show. He never told Hoseok that he was following each show so closely, but it had brought him comfort to see everyone's positive opinions about his husband.

By the time they finished their food, Kihyun was feeling a bit tired. So, they decided to retire to a theater. It wasn't exactly like the theaters of days past. Instead, these offered pods that a customer would lay down in and place a VR experience on their face. Generally, the films they showed offered for either free insertion into the film where the viewer could choose their own path through the movie's universe, or for a much more relaxing route of following a predetermined route.

Kihyun wanted to choose the latter and let himself drift off while the film played, but Hoseok said that he would gladly take over for the main character. Honestly, that was how most of their theater experiences went, and Kihyun never complained. He liked seeing the choices that Hoseok made and sometimes would offer input. It was a bit like playing a game except without the gameplay.

He and Hoseok had purchased one of the double pods so that they could be next to each other in the experience. Lacing his fingers through Hoseok's, Kihyun settled back into the pod's pillow and let himself watch as Hoseok woke up at the movie's main character.

It was about two hours later when Hoseok finished the film and he and Kihyun were released from the pod. Kihyun had fallen asleep halfway through, but that was such a frequent occurrence, that Hoseok simply told him what had happened after he had drifted off.

"So, after I finished fighting the aliens, I and my copilot for our mecha turned against the organization and fought them. Basically, I had discovered a secret plan to kill all the pilots and make our mechas automated so we had to save each other. I wish you had seen it. I kicked some serious ass." Hoseok exclaimed.

"That sounds really cool," Kihyun said. He was a bit sad that he had fallen asleep, but due to the fact that they had not gotten much sleep last night, he desperately needed some type of nap.

Feeling pretty rejuvenated, Kihyun pulled out his glass phone and looked up the nearest locations to them. He wanted to spend more time with Hoseok, but every time he searched for something an urgent message from TechCorp flashed over the screen. Kihyun quickly pocketed the phone and gave Hoseok a bright smile.

"Maybe we should head back to the hotel and have some private time?"

"You didn't get enough last night?" Hoseok asked, a deeper tone to his voice. It sent shivers down Kihyun's spine and he could only give Hoseok an innocent look.

"Maybe..." he was playing it safe, hoping that Hoseok wouldn't ask about the blaring notification that had flashed on his phone.

It worked because on the ride home, they spent it making out in the back of a hovercab. Kihyun was straddling Hoseok, grinding down onto him and digging his fingers into his shoulders. He shoved his tongue into Hoseok's mouth, forcing his jaw open even more and slipped a deft hand down the front of his pants.

Hoseok moaned and tangled his hands into Kihyun's thick hair, tugging it a bit and exposing his neck. He licked a long stripe up it, and settled his teeth on Kihyun's earlobe and bit down. Kihyun let out a tiny gasp and the two of them fell into a heap on the seat.

Breaths and knocking teeth filled the rest of the ride. Neither undressed, but the two of them were so hard, so turned on beyond belief that by the time they made it back to the hotel, they exited the cab with mussed hair, swollen lips, and flushed faces.

The moment they were in the lift, they were glued to each other again. Kihyun had Hoseok's knee between his legs and was riding it without any inhibition. Lust for his husband had a way of blocking out all his anxiety for the eyes of others on him. When the lift beeped to signal that they were at their floor, the tumbled out, lips still connecting between ragged breaths as they slowly and unsteadily made their way back to the room.

They were half undressed when Kihyun's phone started blaring. He reluctantly peeled himself off of Hoseok and walked over to his discarded pants and fished out the device. On the screen was another message requesting his presence.

Kihyun thought he was going to have to go back to the floating city of Seoul to get the implant put in, but TechCorp had flown out their specialists to the floating city of Milan. Kihyun sighed and brought his phone over to where Hoseok laid on the bed and curled into his side.

They hardly got to spend time like this together, just vegging close and enjoying each other to the fullest.  He didn't want to give this up, not for anything. But, with TechCorp looming in the distance, Kihyun knew he had to get his ass there before they threatened Hoseok's safety again.

Kihyun planted a kiss on Hoseok’s rib and gave him another squeeze. “I love you,” he said. He didn't know why it sounded final, but the subtext was there.

“I love you too,” Hoseok replied and pressed his lips to Kihyun’s head. “You’ve been in your head all day, what’s going on? Is it the Implant thing?”

Kihyun felt his face darken and sighed. “Partly. The other reason is that TechCorp sent over their specialists and they’ve been waiting for me for the past hour, but I just don’t want to miss a single moment with you.”

“Oh, honey,” Hoseok said and sat up, pulling Kihyun with him. “I’ll be here when you get back, just go and get it over with.” He paused and gently combed Kihyun’s bangs off his forehead. “I can come with you if you’d like?”

No, Kihyun thought to himself. He didn’t want Hoseok anywhere near TechCorp until he was certain he knew what was up with them. He didn’t trust that company as far as he could throw it and with a company that size, he couldn’t throw it far.

“You have your big show in a few days, how about you rest up, I’ll get this stupid implant, and grab us some food on the way back?” Kihyun suggested. If he could keep Hoseok in one place he would feel better.

Hoseok leaned forward and rubbed his nose against Kihyun’s. “Sounds like a plan. I’ll keep the bed nice and warm for us, okay? We can have some fun when you get back.”

Kihyun nodded and after giving Hoseok a lingering kiss, he slid off the bed to get dressed. TechCorp wouldn’t wait forever no matter how badly he wanted them to. He just had the worst feeling about this whole thing, but Hoseok’s excited grin was enough to keep him going.

“When I get it, I’ll link to you?” Kihyun said hesitantly. He wasn’t sure he would know exactly how to do that, but he figured it would be simple enough.

“Oh, yes, that way I can help you pick food and maybe tease you a bit, you’re getting Deep too right?”

Kihyun nodded, already feeling lightheaded over the whole thing. “Yeah, I’ll be testing out Deep for them and then giving my testimony that it’s worth the money and the partnership, of course.”

“Okay, I’ll update for tactile while you’re gone,” Hoseok smirked.

Kihyun caught the insinuations his husband was making and they honestly excited him. Despite having to give up his privacy and be a guinea pig for this whole Deep thing, he could not deny that a  _ tiny _ part of him was interested in the tactile aspect and how it worked.

“I’ll be back in a bit, love you,” Kihyun said and then leaned across the bed to kiss Hoseok one more time.

Something about the kiss felt final. Like he might be making some type of mistake and would end up dead because of the procedure, but when Hoseok’s caressed his cheek, searching his eyes with his dark ones, Kihyun managed a tiny smile. Everything would be fine. He was taking Hoseok’s place and keeping him out of harm. It was his duty as a husband to protect him, and protect him he was going to do.

 

☍☍☍

 

TechCorp’s Milan branch was sleek. It was the only building here that did not have any of the historic charms. It was made from shining materials that reflected all the lights around them. It actually seemed to almost absorb the darkness into the obsidian glossy surface.

Kihyun climbed out of the hovercraft he was in and gave it a passing glance, noticing the YOO emblem on the back. It seemed TechCorp had no qualms buying his products for their personal use. Yet, something about that made his stomach turn. He pursed his lips and told himself he had bigger fish to fry so he knew he would have to compartmentalize that discomfort for much later.

Once he passed through the doors, he was greeted by a widely smiling Italian man with auburn hair. The man bowed slightly and then gestured for Kihyun to walk down the hall. It felt vaguely uncomfortable, but Kihyun said nothing and walked down the hallway, slyly taking in every detail about the branch as he could. He wanted to commit to memory so that he at the very least had an idea of what this branch looked like in comparison to the Seoul one.

So far they seemed identical from his very brief experience at the Seoul branch. They were relatively empty, with very little if any employees and lots of doors. There were hardly any windows or any way to peer into the rooms. It was such a stark contrast to how open Kihyun's own company was and it gave him a bad vibe.

He was directed to a small white room with two people suited people standing inside. One was a woman with blonde hair and green eyes and the other a man that was rich in skintone and had jet black hair. The two of them closed the door behind Kihyun and then stood guard.

Kihyun looked around the room, only seeing a single chair sitting in front of what he guessed to be smartglass and sat down. He gave the two suited individuals a quick look, but their sunglassed faces gave nothing away. Great. He was a sitting duck in the hands of TechCorp. Oh, the things he would do for love.

“We’re glad to have you here today, Mr. Yoo,” a voice came through a speaker into the room.

“Likewise,” Kihyun said, eyes darting around to find the source. He was lying through his teeth. He was not glad in the slightest. He hated having his hand forced and even though he knew TechCorp knew about his stance on them, he was still mildly in disbelief that they would do something like this.

“We are happy you have decided to become the face of Deep. It is a pleasure to work with you and your constituents,” the voice said and Kihyun had to ignore the chills he got. This company was just all kinds of wrong.

“Let’s just get this over with,” Kihyun grimaced.

"You make it sound like you are displeased, Mr. Yoo," the voice said.

Kihyun forced his best fake smile on his face. "I just dislike procedures of any type. It's nothing against your product."

If there was ever a time to put on his best business face, now was the time. He had no idea if they could see him, but something told his gut they could. Kihyun knew he could handle this diplomatically. His lawyer had contacted him on his way over to tell him that she had spoken with TechCorp's lawyer about the announcement.

Apparently, it was a  _ mistake _ that it was leaked this early. It was something that was supposed to be discussed with both businesses but now that it was out, Kihyun had no choice but to do damage control to save both of the company's faces. He hated having to be the one to fix the mess, but he knew that if things actually went south, he would be pulling his support quicker than they could dial his number.

"Noted. Let us proceed with the procedure then," the voice said.

The procedure wasn’t all that bad. Kihyun only felt the mildest discomfort when they injected the implant just behind his left ear. The part that hurt was the installation of the Deep chip, which had to be situated just above his top vertebra. It stung as it was injected deep into his skin and the moment it was turned on, his entire body seized.

The impulses from the Deep chip were complete overload to his limbs so they simply gave up. Kihyun couldn’t even exactly remember what it was he saw when he seized, but he had a very clear image of the two strangers in the room as he opened his eyes.

“To switch the Implant on, all you have to do is think about it. It is linked to your thought processes and brain waves,” the voice said. “Please switch on the implant, so we may check that installation was complete.”

Kihyun thought about turning on the implant and the moment he did, he could feel the tiny buzz just behind his ear. He blinked his eyes hard, and an interface appeared before them.

Heart rate: normal

Blood pressure: normal

Blood O2 levels: normal

Overall health: normal

Please connect to the Implant Network for more features.

Kihyun blinked again and the interface flashed before connecting him to the network. Before his eyes, he saw a summary of his life, a picture of him wearing his finest suit and his accomplishments. The page was titled his Impage and in the suggestions, he saw the notification to add Hoseok to his page and a small circle of friends. He blinked again, and the interface was gone, replaced by the tiniest of fonts in the upper corner of his vision, displaying his current health.

Then, everything went to shit. Kihyun tried to blink away the stats in the top corner and was pulled into someone else who had just woken up and he screamed. The feeling of leaving his body behind was unlike anything else he had ever felt. It was like pulling a long piece of barbed wire from his throat, like accidentally swallowing a nail, or stepping onto a blade. It was completely and utterly overwhelming and his brain could not take it. It simply shut down and Kihyun felt himself fall towards the floor in a cold sweat.

 

The very next thing he saw was darkness and then the whole system rebooted.

“We apologize for the inconvenience, the Deep chip activated itself but we have removed yours and replaced it with a more limited version. You do not have the ability to project into a different body anymore,” the voice said.

Kihyun sat up, sweating and panting. He looked to the side and saw that the two security guards have been replaced by two different ones and then blinked at the smartglass in front of him. “How long have I been out?”

“No longer than ten minutes. Please link to the network to check if the installation is complete.”

This time when Kihyun turned on the Implant, everything went smoothly. He was able to quickly go through his page, scan Hoseok’s and then Hyungwon’s after a brief moment of hesitation, and then clear it all off. Not even the stats remained in the upper corner of his vision. When he willed it off, it  _ felt  _ off. That gave him the tiniest glimmer of comfort and he pushed himself to his feet, ready to leave this forsaken place.

“Am I done here?” He said, bracing against the desk. His clothes stuck to him in odd places, but he ignored it.

“Yes, you may leave,” the voice said. "Thank you for your cooperation."

The two guards by the door stepped aside as it opened, and Kihyun wobbled out. His legs still felt a bit gummy, but it was fading quickly. He was greeted by the smiling man once more and followed him to the exit, grateful that there was a hovercraft waiting just outside.

With a rueful glance back at the lobby, he climbed in and tried to calm himself before he called Hoseok. He wanted him to think that nothing had gone wrong.

After a few deep breaths, Kihyun switched on the Implant and scrolled to the option for calling Hoseok. It rang once and then Hoseok picked up. In an instant, Kihyun could see Hoseok’s lower half covered by the blankets until he glanced up at the smartglass, displaying a strange feedback loop of Kihyun’s view of the back of the front seat and Hoseok’s view of it in the smartglass.

“How does it feel?” Hoseok asked. Kihyun could hear the smile in his voice.

“Strange, but not too bad,” Kihyun replied. He sighed and closed his eyes momentarily. When he opened them, he noticed that the hovercraft had yet to move and without even realizing it, the coordinates for the nearest food place were put in by just the thought.

“That’s good. So where are you right now?” Hoseok asked. He glanced down at his bare chest and grazed a hand over his torso and instantly Kihyun could feel it.

“Holy fuck. I felt that!” Kihyun gasped. He gripped the sides of the seat and inhaled deeply when Hoseok slid his hand a bit lower, teasing his waistband. “Okay, okay. Woah.”

“Touch yourself,” Hoseok said and Kihyun obliged.

He gripped his thigh and the surprised giggle from Hoseok spurred him on. He slid his hand to his inner thigh, grazing it lightly and then over hardening bulge in his pants, which earned him a quick gasp.

“This is some next level shit,” Hoseok breathed after a moment. “Touch your neck,” he urged.

Kihyun brought his hand to his neck tentatively and then ran it down his chest, again earning a pleased whine from Hoseok. This was some dangerous territory, but it was oh-so-exciting.

In no time, Kihyun was wetting his fingers and placing them inside himself in order to stimulate Hoseok. He loved hearing his breath catch in the back of this throat. He loved feeling the way his hands shook as he moved them over his body. But, most of all, he loved that everything he was feeling was equally felt by Hoseok.

As much as he wanted to hate the Implant, he had to admit that this right here did offer a new side to the distance that they usually shared. Now the months wouldn't be too bad. It would never replace being in the same room with each other, no, but it could definitely stave off the aching loneliness that often plagued Kihyun when they were apart for so long.

Kihyun scissored his spit-slicked fingers inside of him while Hoseok stroked himself. It was damn near overwhelming, but the sensation was amazing. Kihyun was pretty much intoxicated by the feeling of pleasure from both himself and through the link. It felt almost as if Hoseok was touching him, but also as if he had grown another set of arms and was pleasing himself. It was somewhat strange but mostly pleasurable.

The two of them lost themselves in this new aspect so wholly. They tried out new things such as delicate asphyxiation and twisting of nipples. They dug their fingers into their respective bodies, eliciting responses from the other. Kihyun was jerking himself and fingering himself in tandem while Hoseok did the same.

The feeling of two prostates being stimulated at the same time as both of their cocks was mind-blowing and as Kihyun neared his climax, he could actually feel Hoseok nearing too. It was an over encumbering feeling of tension in his groin. A tightness that made him hold his breath. A burning to release everything with a loud shout that finally burst through as he heard and felt Hoseok climax.

Kihyun came so hard he had accidentally switched off the Implant without meaning to. He laid there in the back seat catching his breath for a bit before trying to link back up with Hoseok, but when he did what he saw turned his blood to complete ice.

Through the fog of his mind, he watched in slow motion as Hoseok jolted upright in bed. “Who are you?” Hoseok yelled, wrapping the blankets around himself. From his vision, Kihyun could see three strange men in black suits pouring through their hotel door before a shout.

“Knock him out, he has his Implant on!”

“What the fuck?” Hoseok shouted and scrambled off the bed, grabbing the lamp. He brandished it wildly, connecting with a sickening crunch with one of the men’s heads before the connection was cut off.

Kihyun screamed. He shoved open the door to the hovercraft, looking down below at the drop and then scooted back inside. He had not realized that the hovercar had not moved one bit while he and Hoseok had been getting it on. But, he knew he had to get back to the hotel in an instant. He had to make sure Hoseok was okay.

The hovercraft couldn’t move fast enough, but by the time it was pulling up to the sidewalk, Kihyun was already out the door and into the lift. He pressed the lift buttons a million times, urging it to go faster and desperately tried to reconnect with Hoseok.

He only caught dim glimpses of the hallway and then the stairwell. He stopped the lift, practically prying open the doors and sprinting down the hallway to the stairs. He paused, breathing heavy and scranning upwards and downwards, only capturing the smallest flash of Hoseok’s feet before he tore down the steps as many as he could at a time.

There was no way they were taking him from him. No way at all. He had gotten the Implant. He had even gotten the Deep chip. This was not part of the deal his lawyer had signed for him. He slid down the railing, climbing over it and dropping a full level before running down the stairs again, taking four steps at a time. His lungs were burning, but he was so close that he could hear the footsteps of the men and yelled.

“Where are you going with him?”

A loud bang ricocheted off to his right and when he looked, he saw a hole that was smoking and ducked as another shot rang through. His eardrums felt like they were going to burst, but he kept running after the men, hoping to catch them before they reached the bottom floor.

Another jump over the railing had him less than half a flight behind them, but it left him open to their gunshots. Kihyun ducked again, narrowly being grazed by the bullet and yelping. It burned like hot iron and the Implant flashed a huge warning over his vision.

INJURED. PLEASE SEEK MEDICAL CARE!

Kihyun blinked away the message, losing precious time and slammed open the door to the lobby. He lept over baggage and sprinted after the men, but somehow they were faster than him and by the time he reached the door, they were packing Hoseok’s unconscious body inside a hovercraft and taking off.

“No!” Kihyun screamed after the vehicle and tried to chase after it, but it was no use. It was already gone from his sight by the time he reached the end of the sidewalk.

What the fuck had just happened?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Suuuuper sorry for the delay my loves. I got hella writer's block and was super stressed due to school, but I'm updating nowww!! I really hope you all have enjoyed it thus far! There is one part left and then an epilogue! Thank you again for all your support ^^ As always this is my first KiHo fic and my first Monsta X fic, so please be gentle uwu.
> 
> Until next time~

**Author's Note:**

> I apologize for this moving a bit slow, but I have big plans for it! I hope you all anticipate the next part which will be posted in a few days~


End file.
